Coincidences
by control of chaos
Summary: Third in the Safehouse arc. Alex and Ben are off on another adventure, but is this one their last? Includes K-Unit.
1. Chapter 1

Part one of _Coincidences_. Sorry for taking so long on this, but _Coincidences_ is the third in my _Safehouse_ arc, if you don't include my crossover, _Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost_. (If you like NCIS, please check out my crossover!) To the rest of you, hope you like this and thanks for waiting. R&R ~ SamayouTamashi

* * *

"You do realize that I'm only fifteen, right?"

"Yeah, but if anyone were to ask ask, I'm sure you could wave your ID card or something and say 'You never saw me.'"

"Wolf, why the hell would I have a card saying I'm a spy? That's counterproductive."

"All you MI6 types say that, but you're like a Swiss Army knife—every time it looks like you've pulled out all the gadgets, you find another one tucked away."

Alex swung around in his chair. "Hey, Ben! Do you have an ID card from MI6?"

"Yeah, why?"

The teenage spy facepalmed himself. "Nothing. I think I need some of that alcohol you have stashed over there."

"Not while on duty, Alex."

Wolf set down his beer. "I thought we were celebrating you guys being off-duty?"

Leaning back in his chair, Ben tossed his feet up on his table. He had called everyone from K-Unit over to his flat for pizza and beer, saying that he was celebrating Alex and his first break in awhile. "Well…not really."

"You really think I have time to party with all that paperwork after my recent promotion," Alex laughed evilly. "Speaking of which, I feel so sorry for Crawley for having to deal with all the work I conveniently forgot to do."

"Now that is a guy who needs a break," Ben agreed, while feeling incredibly sorry for the overworked agent, "but back on topic, no, we're still on duty."

Reaching into the small fridge, Alex deliberated before pulling out a pop. He flicked off the top before falling back into the couch beside his partner. "See he's actually a little worried about the mission we're about to go on so he thought that if he got you guys drunk, you wouldn't yell quite as loud when he told you where we're going."

Snake leaned forward in his chair. "You're actually worried?"

"Personally, I've given up on worrying. It gets you nowhere and makes you doubt every action you make. I just lean back and take the hits as they come. Ben's the one who's gotten all worried over nothing."

"I'm not worried over nothing," he retorted.

"Yeah, sure. That must be why you keep tapping the floor with your foot, rubbing your sweaty palms against the couch and can't even take a sip of pop without your hands shaking."

"Can't you keep _anything _to yourself?"

"Only while I'm in the field. Can't hold a secret while I'm relaxing."

Wolf rubbed a toe against the edge of the carpet. "So where are you guys going?"

"We're going to infiltrate SCORPIA," Ben grunted as he tilted his head up to watch the small crack in his ceiling, waiting for the outbursts to start.

It didn't take long.

"What?"

"That's suicide!"

"Who put you up to this?" Wolf growled.

"I did," Alex murmured quietly.

No one even dared to breathe in the silence that followed.

Snake was the first to speak up. "Why?"

Not in the least unnerved by the eyes on him, he took a sip of his pop. "I never intended for Ben to go. Actually, I was going to ensure he never found out about the mission at all, but one of the papers must have leaked to him."

"And that's precisely the reason I check your emails," Ben muttered under his breath.

"So I requested permission from Blunt, he agreed, Ben decided to get permission as well, and here we are."

"But _why_?" Snake gritted his teeth. Getting the smallest things from the spy was like getting your wisdom teeth pulled. Necessary, but complicated and painful.

The teen just shrugged. "No reason. They've become a hassle lately and I figured we need updated intel on them."

"Liar."

"Ben, hush."

"You tell them, or I will."

"They don't need to know!"

"They're our _friends_."

Alex crossed his arms and frowned.

"Fine." He ignored his partner and turned to K-Unit. "Something got leaked from the lower departments about where Alex was living. While he got lucky, his housekeeper didn't. They left a calling card with her, and he's been working non-stop to get back at them ever since."

"I've taken breaks."

"No, you haven't. So that's the main reason for the pizza and such, the second that I'm fairly sure we're on a suicide mission so I figure I might as well have a good last meal."

"Then where are you living now?" Falcon worried.

"The house has been boarded up until MI6 gets the house cleaned up and I've bunked on Ben's couch for the last week. After that, I'll have to get somewhere new, I guess."

"What about your parents?"

"Dead for quite awhile."

"Relatives?"

"More recently deceased."

"Jesus, Cub. Who do you have left?"

A blindingly innocent smile answered him. "You guys and MI6. I'm legally an orphan now, and MI6 has all my papers in order if I ever need to challenge that."

Ben snorted. "_If_ we don't die."

"True. There'd be a whole other problem then."

"How can you two make jokes about this whole scenario?" Eagle asked from behind the counter. "Even I can't really see any humor in this."

Alex snorted. "If we weren't laughing, we'd be crying. It's one of those things about being a spy that you have to learn. You either laugh it off or bury your head in the sand to ignore it all. Instead of going insane, I just find the humor in the situation."

"Which would be…?"

"If I'm going out, I'm going to go out with a bang." There was something behind the words that evidently meant something to the spies. They clinked their cans in a toast, while K-Unit stared quizzically on, clearly missing the hidden meaning.

Ben made sure the mood lifted for the next few hours, keeping all mention of SCORPIA or tomorrow morning from the conversation. Awhile later, Alex yawned. "I'll see you guys later," he nodded at K-Unit. A look passed between the two spies, and Alex vanished in the next room over.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Wolf asked for the hundredth time. "There aren't any units anywhere near where you guys probably are heading off to, but I'm sure I could work something out through the SAS. Unlike MI6, they are rather understanding towards these kinds of things. Despite what Cub says, we still owe you both for last month."

"While backup would be great," he acknowledged, "it isn't something I could ask of any of you. No matter how many favors we could tally up, neither of us would ever take anyone else with us. Alex has the luck of the devil on his side, but fate is going to catch up with the both of us on this one, I'm sure of it. Besides, if SCORPIA found an SAS unit where they shouldn't be, it would be bad on both of us. Don't worry about it."

"Is there anything we can do?" the unit leader nearly pleaded.

"I-I wish I could get Alex to reconsider, but he's out for blood, James. There's nothing anyone can do for him anymore." Ben put his head in his hands. "I just hope that by being there, he won't be entirely suicidal. He seems reluctant to do crazy stunts if there's a chance I might get left behind, and maybe that will get us out in one piece."

"Then if nothing else," Snake said, leaning toward the spy in his chair, "keep us in the loop. Send us messages whenever you get the chance, and we'll watch for your crazy stunts in the news."

"You mean Alex's. I'm the sanity in our group."

Eagle and Falcon laughed at that, seeing as how blurry shots of Alex were always leaking into the news reports. Even without a name, they could tell it was him.

"I'll try my best," he grinned, but looked to the floor, "but pray for us will you?"

"Paired with Alex? You're _always_ in my prayers," Snake rolled his eyes. "Remember his last partners while you're out there."

"I always do."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of the beginning, but I didn't want to put too much in all at once. You have to come back for the rest!

And to _speechbubble_, one of my best reviewers, I have accepted your dare. In one of the following chapters, watch for the scene you asked for!

To anyone else out there who wants to request a scene/idea for either this story or another upcoming one, give me a shout-out! I look at both my PMs and reviews daily (if not hourly…).


	2. Chapter 2

Part two of _Coincidences_. I'm taking a break on my AR/NCIS crossover, _Those Who Wander_, to bring this to you. Enjoy and R&R! ~ SamayouTamashi

* * *

The messages came in uneven intervals even after K-Unit was deployed back into Afghanistan. The first two came the week after the spies vanished from Ben's apartment the day after he had invited them all over.

Sometimes the notes were weeks between, and on other occasions arrived mere hours apart. Even the handwriting varied widely based on who was doing the note. Though it was Ben's rough, blocky script that they saw most often, there were also ones in the neat cursive that Alex used and a plain even font that could only have been typed on a computer.

Yet despite the wide variety in the messages received, the notes all consisted of one sole word: safe. Only more recently had there been anomalies in the messages that clued the SAS men on to the fact that not all was as good as the spies were making it appear.

The weekly mail had just been shipped in from the command base lying a few miles to the west. Wolf grabbed the familiar yellowed card with only "K" written in the upper right corner to designate its intended recipient. "It's Ben's handwriting," he announced back at K-Unit's tent.

"Same?" Eagle asked.

"How'd you guess?" came the wry but relieved retort. Another message, another recognition that the spies were still alive.

Falcon had leaned over his unit leader's shoulder when a tint of color on the normally bland paper caught his keen eye. "Hey, what's that?" he pointed at an indistinct splotch on the lower left corner shaped almost like a tear drop. "It look like…blood."

"Let me see that," Snake said, snatching it from their grasp. Peering closer at the stain and feeling the texture of the mark it had left, he nodded sadly. "Falcon's right, but whose is it?"

* * *

Ben was running breathlessly across the back roads of Athens, taking a short break only to use the long-range pepper spray Smithers had so kindly given him for irritating people on one of his annoying pursuers. Leaving the abandoned and little used streets behind, he emerged into a crowded agora. He wandered quickly and haphazardly between the stalls of vendors, blending into the shadows as Alex had patiently showed him at least a hundred thousand times. Eventually, he could no longer see any of the men who had tailed him since entering the ruins of the Acropolis.

He backed into a dark corner of the crowded bazaar to pull the cheap plastic watch from his wrist. Taking a battery from the stash in his left shoe's false bottom, he fixed the small metal rod into the watch's base. While the watch's hands were still frozen on a time just after midnight, a low crackle became audible from one of the two gold earrings on his right ear. "Red calling White," he spoke quietly into the face of the watch that acted as a microphone. "Red calling White, do you copy?"

As a customer neared the stand he was close to, Ben shifted nervously back against into the corner. In the background of the radio encased in the lowest earring, the sweet sound of tiny bells was jingling in time with the stamping of light feet. Other than that, no other sound was coming through.

Forcing himself not to panic, he thought over the possibilities to himself. His partner could very well have been killed or injured badly before being able to answer his call, but it was also just as likely that White was in a public place where it would look strange to be talking to your watch. While communication was important, it wouldn't help if one of them was found.

The background noise quieted as the bells quieted and the sound of clinking coins filled his ears. Ben suddenly chuckled as a soft feminine voice answered his radio signal. "White here. Sorry about the wait, but I have to keep my cover."

"We're going to separate for awhile," Ben said in all seriousness. "I have a tail on me, and I think my cover's blown. Try to keep yours and get in. I'm going to jump ship and try again in a week or two in another location."

"Agreed," his partner answered, "but if you can't get in the second time, you have to swear to return to England and let me complete my job here."

Ben ground his teeth together. "Fine, but same for you."

A beautiful laugh made his ears ring. "Gotta go. The men are calling for another dance. Something about us gypsies drives them crazy."

"You'll have to show me later," he grinned as he heard the answering scoff, telling him that there wasn't a chance in hell.

"Yeah, yeah. Talk to you soon." With a final clink of coins and the bells ringing in time with the dance, the connection was cut off.

Switching gears, Ben flicked the top-most earring, clicking a nearly invisible switch into place and establishing a new connection with MI6. "Ready to pull out, sir," he told Blunt. As the head of MI6 grunted an affirmative, he pulled a card from his back pocket and grabbed a pen from one of the tables. On the yellow card, he scrawled a quick note to Wolf and the rest of K-Unit identical to the ones he'd sent them previously. Anything else could be dangerous if intercepted, so he'd kept it to the bare minimum.

As he put the pen back from whence it had come, Ben sliced his finger on one of the sharp pieces of wood that hadn't been sanded down on the table. Muttering a short string of curses, he didn't notice a drop of blood fall on the corner of the paper as he dumped it into his messenger bag.

* * *

The dancer quickly gathered up the coins tossed into the hat by the side of the street, where other gypsies from the same traveling group were giving their own performances, and made sure the radio receiver recently tucked into one of the hems hadn't moved or become visible under the coins piled on top.

Giving a final dance for the gathered crowd before the noontime break, the gypsy mixed both the silver bells on her wrists and ankles and tempo of stamping feet with the graceful swish of hips and silk to awe the crowd. The skirt was a little too long and the shirt tighter than it should've been, but the dance was just as elegant as any the crowd had seen in this area of town. A sapphire piercing on her navel matched the deep blue depths of the dancer's eyes, both equally captivating.

With the ringing of the noon-bell from the wagon, the men and women began to disperse, dropping silver bits of multiple countries' currencies into an assortment of hats and instrument cases.

Anastasia*, or Ana as she went by, moved among her fellow gypsies with the gentle steps of a dancer and the constant nervousness of the thieves she lived among**. Her long wavy black hair was skittering back and forth as every tiny movement caught her attention. Many of the performers around her showed similar signs as they pretended to be here for loose change, not the wallets tucked carefully into purses and pockets.

She tossed her unruly hair over one shoulder, pinning her bangs back with a metal clip to get them out of her eyes. If Ben was going to be out of the picture for the immediate picture, new plans were going to have to be put together.

Small tent-like structures had been established behind the trailer the main family used, mainly for those who were straggling along like herself. Slipping into one of the smallest ones, she took off the skirt and small top to replace them with ragged jeans and a loose white top. Using a handheld mirror, the black dye was covered over with a temporary pale brown layer of easily washable ink and she braided it into one long strand going down to her shoulder blades. The sapphire on her naval was placed delicately in a small bag with the rest of her clothes.

Removing the last of the make-up on her face, Ana became Alex once more.

The dye Smithers had given him for his hair had not only been keeping it dark black these past two months, but also grown it out at a fast rate. He was assured that with a little work each morning, he could easily pull of the changing of genders despite his flat chest and minimal curves. Ben, much too amused for his own good, had pointed out that many girls had flat chests and minimal curves. At that, Alex had threatened to murder him painfully and extraordinarily slowly if any pictures made their way to the internet or other public venues. While the spy had backed off, that smirk was still in his eyes and demeanor.

Weaving between the stalls as he crossed the street, he made multiple turns through the maze of buildings to find himself in front of the Acropolis, the most recent meeting place for the executive board of SCORPIA. With their board now down to only four of the original thirteen, the last ones were scurrying around, trying to hold down their bases of power. One of the weakening bases linked the islands off the coast of Greece, but for how long they would remain loyal to a slowly decaying SCORPIA, was going to be based on the upcoming meetings next week.

Thus, his job here was to make those meetings go as badly as possible to undermine SCORPIA's strength in Greece and the surrounding area. Alex was going to do something that would not only destroy their workings along the Mediterranean, but place doubts in the minds of all their colleagues.

It took all of his willpower not to let out an evil laugh right then and there.

* * *

K-Unit had barely three minutes notice when MI6 requested them to pick up an operative. Knowing that only Ben or Alex would be asking for them, Wolf got his unit out and moving in just under sixty seconds. The chopper waiting for them said they were headed for just past the border of Greece, a couple miles into Albania by the shore of Lake Prespa***.

While the helicopter was hovering a foot above the dusty ground, Snake and Wolf hopped out, Eagle and Falcon staying to cover the unarmed pilot. "Fox!" Wolf called out, and a body fell from a tree to their right.

"You scared the _hell_ outta me with the chopper and everything!" Ben said, dusting himself off and rubbing his now-sore shoulder.

Snake noted on first glance that his former-teammate was in decent condition, with no visible wounds or signs of pain (ignoring those from the recent fall). At second glance, he noticed how Ben's demeanor had entirely changed as he entered the open space, wincing at the sunlight as he left himself exposed. He truly had turned into a regular spy, the medic sighed.

"How're you doing, and where's Cub?" Wolf demanded as the trio bundled into the helicopter for a ride back to England and home base.

"I'm doing great, which I hadn't expected. Need a short break and then I'll go in for a second try."

"So you couldn't get in?" Falcon asked.

"I don't know how, but they must have known what I was doing there. Whatever they were looking for, it wasn't evident on Alex, apparently, since he was successful on his side of things."

Wolf raised an eyebrow at the sparkle in Ben's eyes, like he had some sort of secret that looked ready to burst. "And where _is_ he exactly?"

"Undercover on the streets working as a performer." He leaned forward in his seat, a smirk rising from his normally calm and collected face. "A _female_ performer."

Eagle snorted before he saw how truthful the spy looked (for once). "Wait, seriously?"

"Alex is working under the name Ana as a gypsy dancer just on the outskirts of Athens."

"A _gypsy dancer_?" Snake grinned. "And who managed to convince him that it would be the best approach."

"It was a mix of both Blunt and Smithers' ingenious minds. Through Blunt's cunning and Smithers' inventions, they created the perfect cover for him. There was no way he could resist the opportunity."

"Now _please_ tell me you got pictures," laughed Eagle. "There are so many wonderful blackmail chances here that I would _love_ to grab a hold of."

At this, Ben's eyebrow twitched. A sign of intense distress, Snake guessed.

"See there would have been millions of pictures emailed to all of you by this time if he hadn't threatened me with a slow and excruciatingly painful death if he found even an iota of something that looked familiar on the web. Knowing Alex, he could manage all of the threats he laid down for me if that should ever happen."

Even Wolf had to feel sorry for him.

"So I took the infinitely less painful route."

The unit leader could still see that familiar glint of amusement in his eye. "But...?"

The spy threw up his hands in defeat. "There was _one_ small little thing he never thought about."

"Which would be...?"

A cell phone was drawn from the messenger bag he was carrying on his back. "He forgot that my cell phone has a camera installed in the back of it. It doesn't matter if I don't upload the pictures anywhere, since he never specified any actions to be taken if I were to hold on to a few for my own personal blackmail opportunities." He smiled at Eagle, giving him a look that said "I got there first".

"We get to see them, I take it?" the soldier retorted.

"Why else would I have taken them in the first place?" Ben tossed the phone to Snake, who had to blink a couple times as he saw one of the pictures. "That's...wow. That is the work of a serious spy. I honestly didn't think it was possible."

"Let me see...Jesus!" Falcon looked closer at the small picture. "Are you sure you got the right person? That doesn't look anything like Cub."

"Oh it's him all right. If you look at the edge of the skirt," he pointed to where the silk came barely above his knee, "there's his holster for the Glock I got him for his birthday."

"I will never be able to look at girls the same way again," complained Wolf, handing the cell back to its owner. "You've just made me question everything I thought was true."

"Creepy, isn't it?"

Wolf remembered the message all of a sudden. "Wait, then whose blood was on the note you sent us?"

"What blood?" He stared confusedly at the soldier, who was looking just as dumbfounded in return. Ben thought back to the most recent card he'd sent their way and recalled the healing cut along the side of his finger. "I think I know what you're talking about. It was just an accident, and I must have gotten some on the card without realizing it."

Snake facepalmed himself. "You mean we were all worried that you two were out in the middle of some warzone, shooting off enemies, and dripping blood all over while you _accidentally _sliced your finger?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Now I feel stupid."

"Not for long, you won't be. Things were easy on my side, but from what Alex has been telling me, they won't be like that for very long."

"What exactly _is_ he doing?" Wolf asked.

"I'm not sure of the details, probably because he didn't want me to knock him out and drag him back to England, but it's fairly basic on his part and works mostly just smoke and mirrors. The plan is based on simple magic tricks. You use some kind of distraction to pull attention away from what is really going on.

"Alex's main goal is basically to undermine SCORPIA's relations, not necessarily cause harm to anyone in general. Using lots of smoke and a couple strategically placed mirrors he'd managed to get positioned in the Acropolis, he was going to make it appear as if multiple people were attacking, instead of just two...one, now. After all, if many people could get past SCORPIA's defenses, then imagine how the clients would feel about their own safety."

Wolf tilted his head slightly. "He thought of this all on his own?"

"He plans most of our ops nowadays," Ben nodded. "It must be his uncle's influence while he was young, because Alex is really inventive on his ideas and likes to ensure there are no casualties. Anything difficult or dangerous, he takes himself."

"Oh good," Eagle sighed. "So if Blunt retires, we don't have to worry that someone completely incompetent is taking over?"

"Someday, he'll be a great head for MI6. For now, he is fifteen and I plan on getting back in to at least help pull him out of the operation once it's over with and done." The MI6 spy looked all of them in the eye, knowing that his former team already planned on joining him.

* * *

A/N: I was reading _Whirlwind_ by _randomfluff_ (which is one of the most hilarious and best fanfics I have read in my entire life) and thought, "Wouldn't it be funny to have him undercover as a girl in my story?" After all, I had to give Ben something evil to scheme on, and the plot bunnies weren't giving me anything else to work with. So my sister backed me up, and now we are laughing hysterically. Oh the possibilities...

Also, _Those Who Wander _will be on hiatus for a couple days as I scurry around, trying to get two separate plot lines going for each story. Hope you guys don't mind if I post a little slower for the time being.

*Anastasia is a Greek name meaning _resurrection_, which I figured would be appropriate given that she has been 'reborn' with a new identity.

** I know that not all gypsies are the thieves and schemers they are made to look like, but it was something I needed in this story. No offense meant to anyone.

*** Yes, all of these places are correct based on Google maps. All spellings have been taken off Google, so any misspellings are their fault.


	3. Chapter 3

Part three and final chapter of _Coincidences_. ~ SamayouTamashi

* * *

Ana fired back, tilting the Glock to keep the recoil from messing up her aim, as she ran up a ramp of wood leaning against the side of a house to gain the advantage of the rooftops. A round went over her head as she ducked at the sound of the shot. Jumping for the next roof over, she flicked the side of one silver earring to open a connection with her partner. "Red, now would be a _great _time to show."

Clearly, there was trouble on her partner's side as well, based on his uneven breathing and the sound of gunfire on his side too. "Aww, can't run well in that skirt, White?"

"When I get over there, so help me I am going to kill you," she huffed, aiming off a half dozen shots to fell an equal number of men. It was easy to target them, with the gleaming silver SCORPIA tattoo along the sides of their black uniforms. Their own personal army, she assumed.

Some kind of explosion went off on Ben's end, though either small or distant from his location. "Heh. At this rate, you might not have to," he joked. "Seriously though, I'm sending out Wolf and Eagle to show you the way here. I'm too busy filling in for you as liaison between MI6 and SAS, giving them intel from each other as we go. The extraction point had to be changed. SCORPIA is not too happy with you right now as far as I can tell. We have riots everywhere across multiple countries popping up as random as wildfires, but based on messages from undercovers, it would sound like its SCORPIA and their former associates going into a match to the death."

"I can only imagine." She stifled a sudden laugh with a cough. "When I jumped in on their chat, they didn't exactly look pleased."

"Wonder why?" he asked blandly.

"Yeah, yeah. The entrance was quite impressive and, for once, everything went according to plan…except the extraction part. Speaking of which," she pressed down the azure gem piercing on her navel, "I've turned on the transmitter."

"Good. Wolf has my GPS tracker."

"And they're supposed to recognize me? The tracking device only gets them in the general vicinity."

Ben cleared his throat nervously. "Erm, they should know you just fine."

With a steadying breath in and out, Ana muttered to herself, "Strangulation comes later." Speaking to her partner again, she spoke up, "If _those_ pictures make it to the internet, God save your sorry soul."

"I don't have a deathwish. They were only for identification purposes, after all."

"Mmm hmm. And the road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

"Point taken. The guys should be there soon with the new extraction area not too far from the previous location. I should probably tell you that while the SCORPIA heads and anyone else in the building know that it was Rider they saw, your cover has still not been blown. Act natural and you shouldn't catch any attention."

"Or I'll catch lots of attention. It's all in the way you play the cards, Red," she reminded him. "And I can't wait to get back to the paperwork, for once, and the haircut that will be scheduled immediately."

"Understandable," Ben agreed. "Where are you going to be staying once we get back? Your place is clean, but SCORPIA will doubtlessly have it on their radar, especially after this."

"I hope your couch is still free, Red, because I don't know how long it'll take to find another place to stay."

He snorted. "I'm perfectly fine with that."

"As am I," she said quietly. "See you soon. White out."

Loading more ammo into the Glock, she took a leap off the building's roof to roll and continue running. Turning sharply into a side street, she pulled a dirty blanket from the small cloth bag tossed over her shoulder and ditched the thin slippers behind the next building over. She took a handful of dirt from the street floor and streaked it over her face and hands, making sure that at least a thin layer of grime covered her skin. Ana reached a hand up to ruffle and knot her hair with quick finger motions before huddling up against the wall, the blanket tossed over her gypsy clothing and the bells and bangles removed from visibility.

The SCORPIA soldiers running past didn't even spare her a second glance as she held out the hat as if begging for spare change. One of the youngest among them hovered by the alley for a second, momentarily worrying Ana, until he tossed a couple coins into her hat. She smiled weakly back at him, the tension easing out, as he sprinted to catch up with his group.

Counting out to a hundred, she breathed a sigh of relief. Standing, she stuffed the blanket and hat away, replacing the bells and bangles on her limbs and wiping the dirt off. She straightened her hair back out and abandoned the uncomfortable slippers climb back up to her perch atop the roof. Ana searched the buildings in sight for the temporary SAS and MI6 outpost.

"Looking for someone, miss?" a bright voice called up. She glanced at the street below, noticing for the first time the two grinning up at her. Shit. They were never going to forget about this, Alex inwardly groaned as he imagined the torment this would land him in. Ben was bad enough on his own.

But he slipped back into the Ana persona. He couldn't break his cover after working to build it up for this long.

She bounced off the low roof to land lightly on two feet, the bells and bangles jingling merrily. "And what would you fine-looking gentlemen be doing in this part of town?" she asked with a slight accent to her voice, and adding a gentle laugh to the end.

Eagle's eyes widened. "Maybe we got the wro-"

Wolf kicked his shin. "You're Anastasia, right?"

The gypsy awarded him a wide smile as she gave a delicate curtsy. "You can call me Ana. All of my _friends_ do," she stressed the tiniest bit, making sure they knew they'd found the right person.

As Wolf bit his lip to keep his laughter contained, Ana sidled over to hold Eagle's arm. "I bet Alexandra sent you to get a tour of Athens from me. After all, it's so much more interesting that way." She lowered her voice and breathed quietly to the soldier who was clearly out of his depths in the undercover sector, "Look comfortable and don't blow my cover."

He nodded, but Eagle was no actor. Evidently being around women in general made him quiet and shy, based on the eye-rolling Wolf was doing, and Ana was woman-like enough to give him the same feelings.

With K-Unit's leader always at the very edge of her vision to subtly direct her down the right roads, Ana acted as a tourguide for an unusually silent Eagle, pointing out the various bodies of water and giving him the history of the bigger docks. Much prodding and shin-kicking later, Wolf gestured at a store near the darkened dead-end they had walked down to.

The inside, however, looked very little like any store.

Falcon was dragging a wounded soldier back to Snake's infirmary corner, where cloth had been laid over the wooden floorboards, helped by another SAS soldier. Ben was pacing by the furthest wall and trying to listen to the other units' activities on his secondary radio. All the information he received was being streamed directly to MI6 via his earring, and vice versa. Everything was hectic as orders were being shouted around and confirmation signals being shot through cell phones to separate units across the continent. Soldiers passed in and out as ammo and fresh water were retrieved, along with new commands.

"Hey, Red!"

Ben looked up before turning the sound down on the radio. "Took you long enough, White. Come to entertain us?"

Ana took the Glock from its holster and loudly clicked off the safety.

"Kidding! I'm kidding, jeez. At least act like a girl when you're dressed like one."

He sighed as she narrowed her eyes, but put the gun back beneath her skirt. "Speaking of which, I'm going to change before any more of these SAS guys you are working with gawks at me."

Ben glared out at two particular offenders, who made themselves scarce. "How could they have known you were undercover? Anyway, there's an empty warehouse connected to a door in the back pantry. Smithers also called to say that you can keep the transmitter." He smirked as she fingered the jewel on her navel.

"Yes, because I just_ love_ having my belly button pierced. Getting earrings was bad enough, but the things Smithers comes up with…"

"Completely unnoticeable."

"True, but next thing you know he'll have bulletproof tattoos and we'll be looking like gangsters."

The spy laughed at his partner and pointed him to the pantry.

* * *

Five minutes later, the only signs of Ana on Alex were the silver earrings—seeing as they were his sole connection to MI6 and SAS—and the long blond (no longer black) hair trailing in a short braid down his neck. He was back in the torn jeans and long white shirt that he had used before, but the faint outlines of the Sig and Colt on his hip, along with the extra ammunition tied around his waist, were clearly visible through the cheap thin cloth.

"Where did your shoes run off to?" Ben wondered out loud.

"Traded them for bread when the money ran out." Alex grimaced as strands of his irritatingly long hair escaped the knot to fall over his eyes. "Ben, please tell me you have scissors?"

"Don't you dare try to cut off your own hair. You know how long it took to heal up that gash you left on your ear last time."

"Then _you_ cut my hair! I can barely keep all of this in one place, much less out of my eyes."

"It will just be another few days and someone experienced can cut it right once we're in London."

Alex sighed as he abandoned his partner to go to his last hope. "Snake, can I borrow a pair of scissors?"

The medic looked up from the SAS soldier whose arm was being stitched up, noting the change of gender from female back to male, and answered, "Sure, princess," with a completely straight face. "I'm not using the ones on that cabinet to my left."

As the spy snatched up the scissors, he grumbled under his breath about "damn sexist soldiers" and Falcon and Eagle tried to contain their laughter in a horrible attempt. Only Snake could get away with calling Alex "princess" and live to see tomorrow.

He disappeared into the pantry again to reemerge with his hair just brushing his shoulders, though obviously done in seconds with no bother for style. Ben mentally hit himself over the head. "We won't need to go under as gangsters, when we can look like hobos," he muttered, but Alex was not deterred.

"While I may look like I'm homeless, which I technically am if you recall, at least I don't look like a girl. On another note, if you let those pictures that Wolf took off your phone," the soldier choked on his coffee, "get anywhere close to a computer, or sent to anyone else, it's your blood and _then_ his." Both of them managed to look somewhat embarrassed, though to the side, the spy noticed a nervous look cross Eagle's face. "And then him. I'd watch for anything from him too."

Ben stalked over to angrily snatch their phones and delete the copies on both of them. "I am _not_ going to die young because you wanted to embarrass the wrong homicidal spy!"

What broke out after could be best described as a race to find the pictures before any could be sent anywhere.

* * *

Alex, meanwhile, sat on the roof watching the city below. The sun was just beginning to set over the Mediterranean, and from his high perch on the ledge, the water was just visible over the top of the hills. Despite having stayed in the same area for over two months, he was seeing this sunset for this first time while realizing the simple beauty in it. It felt like a conclusion to his long trip in Greek espionage. He would go back to school, as he always did, with another doctor's note.

This particular one would say that he had been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in his upper left arm, the second most common type of bone cancer in teens and children. All his following missions would come back with stories of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. As he took on progressively more long-term assignments and dove into his duties as deputy head of MI6, the "condition" of his cancer would get worse.

Eventually, the idea was that the cancer would eventually "kill" him, either when his enemies did or when he graduated and signed the forms to legally join MI6.

The spy put his head in his hands. Admittedly, it had been his own brilliant idea to put his arm in a sling, pretending that the attempt to surgically remove the tumor had left him in rehabilitation for the two-month period following his absence. Scars would be falsified for the school nurse, fake drugs would be given every six hours, and he would be paling his skin more and more over the next months with powder to make the illusion appear even more realistic.

But was it the right thing to do?

He couldn't imagine lying to Tom, who didn't even know that Jack had been killed yet. She was supposedly on vacation in the States to see her parents and family for the next year, leaving only a cell phone number linked back to MI6 who had cover stories already laid out to the last hour in a planner.

Tom would know that something was up, but he would just think it was more of MI6's evildoing as they tried to take over his life. He had no clue how high his classmate had gotten, or the freedoms he had already handed over to them over the past year.

And Tom would genuinely believe that the death he would stage a couple weeks after turning eighteen was the real thing. True, he would probably think it was SCORPIA or another assignment that had caught up with him, but the two would never be able to meet or communicate again.

That was where his conscience was terrorizing him. The guilt over the increasing lies he was feeding his own friends.

Eagle stepped out on to the roof, not getting as close to the edge as the fearless Alex, but standing nearer than most would dare to. "Tired of Greece yet?" he asked, standing on his toes to see the Mediterranean over the tallest roof tops.

"Not really. The weather's great and the people are too. Course, it's hard not to like other gypsies when you're picking pockets together," he admitted. "The bond between criminals is like no other."

The soldier chuckled and sat beside him on the roof, though further back from the edge. "Then what has you all strung up? You seem nervous."

"Still getting over Jack's death, I guess," he lied straight out. Just days before Jack Starbright had been killed, he had warned her that there were rumors of leaks in the lower levels of MI6. Alex had asked her to take a short trip to see her parents while everything was sorted out, but she refused to leave him alone. She had literally been killed by her kindness. "She was there for me all the time, and I can't really imagine that she's gone."

There was a hesitation as Eagle tilted his head back. The weapons expert sighed as he clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You don't have to lie if you don't want to say. I've lost family before, and you show so few signs of grief that I wouldn't know anyone died. My brother is a psych major, believe me."

"It's true that I miss her," he retorted, turning away from the sunset, "it's just that…I accepted that these things happen. My parents were killed, my uncle, my godfather, and damn near all of my partners. She couldn't be safe forever. There are other things to worry about now."

"Like what?"

"I have to write out my will." He swung his legs back out over the edge of the building. "According to all the records under the name of Alex J. Rider, I am suffering from a strong form of bone cancer." Alex reached his hands up in the air, stretching the sore muscles. "I have three more years, at maximum, under this identity before I "die" of a complication associated with the experimental radiation treatment I've been using."

Eagle was silent as he watched the fading sun in the distance. To leave everything behind you for a thankless job was hardly what anyone could want in their future.

"Do you get to attend the funeral?"

Alex paused as he considered the idea, as he hadn't thought of the possibility before now. "It would be a good way to test the new identity. Smithers is changing all of my physical features through some kind of chemical he's designed that messes with the order of minor chromosomes. It should get the eye color, skin tone, and voice changed just enough that it throws people off."

"After all, if the people who've known you all your life don't recognize you, no one should be able to."

The two watched as the once bright blue sky faded into a deep red and violet.

"Is there a possibility this chemical could change your gender too, because some of those pictures Ben got wer-"

"Eagle, don't make me resort to violence on you too."

* * *

*"Faster or we won't get there in time!"

"I know, I know, but I can't go much faster. There _are_ these things called speed limits, James."

A tall man with short-cut dark brown hair and deep dark eyes was getting his motorbike to the fastest the speed limits would allow him to go. Behind him with his arms tightly around his waist sat a boy with black hair, a slight tan, and pale grey eyes. His features were almost something between Japanese and French with slightly slanted eyes and a sharp chin, but almost graceful wisps of hair framing his still-childlike features. The faint French accent in his voice was especially distinct when pronouncing vowel sounds.

"Ben, I can't be late to my own funeral. That's just rude…in a strange sort of way."

"Do I turn here?" Ben yelled back over the rush of traffic.

"No, the one right after this one. Right there."

The funeral was held at a small cemetery beneath the curtaining foliage of the newly flowering trees, the petals falling with every whisper of wind to drape the tombs both old and new.

It was attended by a small group of people, a couple of them students.

The motorbike pulled up just as the small gathering began to pay their respects to the deceased, all the fancy speeches and introductions to fellow attendees already completed in the first half hour. It was somewhat of a shock to the crowd to have a motorbike pull up near the end of the funeral, but both riders were dressed somewhat formally and entirely in black. As the youngest laid his helmet across the seat, he recalled the names of all the familiar faces in the crowd.

One of the students approached them. He had brilliant blue eyes and spiky black hair, along with being a little shorter than the rest of his classmates. "You're here for Alex, I take it?" While he didn't recognize the younger of the two, he had seen Ben on occasion. Supposedly, the two had been partners at the time of his death.

The younger nodded politely. "You must be Tom Harris. Alex mentioned you many times as his best friend."

Tom smiled a little through his grief. "Yeah. I was already introduced to Fox…er…Ben once, but I don't think he brought you up."

"James Bertrand. I worked with Alex through the French intelligence agency, the DGSE. I only met him twice, but I thought I should come for the funeral to say _"salut"_ one last time."

It was on the eighteenth of June that Alexander John Rider was taken from his life and James Alexander Bertrand began his own.

* * *

A/N: Yes, there wasn't much action in here, but _Coincidences_ was meant to mark an official end to his normal life (if you could even call it that). More stories in this arc will come out following the end of my crossover, which has more views than any other story thus far. The next story will either start before his "death" or after it, but I haven't decided. Feedback would be awesome!

*_Speechbubble_, one of my most favoritest reviewers, requested a scene with a motorbike. If this seems disappointing, then that is because this isn't the actual scene. The real one will be in my next one. A hint? It might involve a car chase through a crowded city with fireworks and explosions in the background. Hope the sneak peek gets you to come back and see more!


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